KELLY AUSTIN

Ceramic, glass, and steel elements are arranged within a spatial field defined by a painted timber frame. These hand-crafted objects celebrate the traditions and history of making and the relentless dedication to one’s craft. At the same time, they push against the rigour of efficiency and familiarity of utility. This work asks what happens when something recognisable is placed alongside something abstract? Some objects explore the edge of comprehension, the liminal space between the familiar and the unknown.

Convergence 1 gently leans into the realm of painting, with particular attention paid to the ability of colour to establish relationships. Some of these relationships attract with opposition and others vibrate with proximity. Objects are purposefully arranged within a narrow band of space, like the scenes found in the still life painting of Jude Rae, where positive and negative space carry equal weight. The linear, horizontal stretch is influenced by Kevin Lincoln’s images, both of objects and the landscape. There is something almost biological about the weight and stability of the horizon that provides a foundation and grounding to the work.

Kelly Austin is a ceramic artist based in Tasmania. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University in Vancouver, Canada, a Master of Philosophy from the Australian National University, Canberra, and a Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environment from the University of Tasmania.

Austin has exhibited widely and was the winner of the National Still Life Prize in 2019. She has been a finalist in both the Women’s Art Prize, Tasmania, and the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize in Sydney.

Convergence 1, 2023
stoneware, porcelain, collected earthen materials (dolerite, wild clay), glass, steel, timber, acrylic paint.
$6,400